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Green Challenge Grant Partners |
Greetings!
The SolarTech Workforce Innovation Collaborative (SWIC) is pleased to provide our January 2012 Newsletter. In it, we seek to deliver timely clean energy labor market information to help you and your workforce clients make informed and timely decisions in training and job search. For the end of the quarter, we sought to characterize the total number of jobs listed during the quarter for both solar PV and energy efficiency. Results were interesting. In each case only 27% of the listings were unique. In PV there were 590 unique jobs, and 326 unique jobs in EE. While Solar City emerged as a job creating leader, the real powerhouse in job creation is the dozens of small employers (or small regional offices of larger firms) hiring one or two new people. This fact demonstrates the importance of building relationships with these kinds of companies. SWIC is dedicated to fostering these connections on your behalf. Reports in this month's newsletter. - SJSU/SWIC Employer Surveys of 2011 Workforce Hiring Trends
- Study #1 - Residential and commercial installers - knowledge and skill needs
- Study #2 - Commercial Installers - In demand jobs
- A summary report of 4th Quarter 2011 PV and energy efficiency jobs
- SWIC Renewable Energy Training
Please forward this newsletter to your network! |
SWIC Employer Surveys: 2011 Summary Report
In 2011, SWIC and partner San Jose State University collaborated on two solar employer surveys which targeted solar installers in California.
The research focused on identifying leading occupations and staffing trends and issues, and understanding the knowledge and skill needs for various positions.
Key points:
Experience vs. Industry Knowledge
- For salespersons of PV systems in residential sales and entry level positions, a strong background in sales is considered far more valuable by employers than a technical background
- Experience in the solar industry, however, is a higher priority for senior commercial system salespersons
Top Jobs in the Solar Industry
- Of 62 companies in California, the leading jobs, in terms of new hires, were in installation, sales, and project management
Download the complete survey here.
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SWIC Releases New Report:
Q4 Weekly Jobs Report Summary Reveals Top Employers in Solar and Energy Efficiency
SWIC gathers job postings data on a weekly basis for the San Francisco Bay Area from a number of sources, including employer sites, Craigslist, LinkedIn, and other online job boards. This data provides insights to employers, educators, and job seekers, identifying the top jobs and leading employers. Download complete report here.
Highlights include:
- Almost 600 jobs were posted by solar employers in Q4, compared to 326 from energy efficiency companies. Jobs pertaining to sales of PV systems, came in well ahead of other functions for solar, including inside and outside sales, in both residential and the commercial sectors.
- IT jobs listings, mainly for software engineers, were quite high in Q4. According to SWIC analysts, solar system integrators are increasing their use of web-based tools to streamline proposal and client acquisition processes.
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SWIC Renewable Energy Training
The SWIC program has developed and provided training in a variety of areas related to renewable energy. Two trainings currently in progress are Energy Efficiency in Building Systems and Solar Sales Training, with over 50 students enrolled.
In addition to our program, there are a number of organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area offering free or low-cost training opportunities in renewable energy. We hope these resources help readers explore other ways to enhance their knowledge of the solar and energy efficiency industries.
The list of links below is a reference, and is not intended to imply recommendations for or against training providers, included on the list or not. The list is an expanding work-in-progress, and suggestions for training providers to include are welcome.
Contact Doug McKenzie at
or (650) 279-6063.
Pacific Gas & Electric Training
Community Colleges
On-the-job, volunteer (unpaid), solar photovoltaic training
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We at SWIC hope this information is useful to your workforce efforts.
Justin Bradley
SolarTech Workforce Committee Co-chair
Bradley Consulting
408.838.4749 |
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